Just Konoha
by AlcatrazOutpatient
Summary: Because we are Konoha. Just Konoha. Come and get us.


**We are…**

Konoha.

Just Konoha.

Just a tiny little village; born in an era of hatred and bloodshed, of violence and death. It is the child of an unlikely alliance that was never supposed to last.

Konoha. Just Konoha.

"A village preaching mercy to an unmerciful world," the Nidaime Kazekage called us.

"It is filled with peace-loving hippies, tree-huggers, and pathetic pacifists," the Sandaime Raikage cried.

"It's Konoha," said the Sandaime Tsuchikage, "Just Konoha."

**But remember…**

Remember the First - _just a man, just a foolish man, believing in ever-lasting peace. _

"Whenever you live, there will always be war"

And remember the Second - _the spare, the extra child, over shadowed and weak._

"You must protect those who have faith in you and who love the village, and train up to those to whom you can entrust the next generation"

And remember the Third – _the old man, withered and aged, no threat at all._

"_When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The__ fire's shadow __will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew._"

And remember the Fourth – _just a boy, young and ignorant, incapable of leading._

"Turning your back on the country, on the village, is just as bad as abandoning a child."

And remember the Fifth – _a drunk, a coward, a woman and a medic out of her place._

"I am the Fifth Hokage... You've trampled on our ancestors' treasure... their dream... And you will pay the price! As the Hokage, I will put a stop to you here and now!"

**Do you remember our heros?**

Do you remember Jiraiya?

You called him failure and drop out and loser. You called him pervert and lecher and old man. You trampled his name in the dust until it became nothing more than a sick joke -

_Even though he's pinned to the ground and spitting blood and he knows that he's going to die, he raises his head and smirks because he's won, damn it. He's won – _

"The true measure of a shinobi is not how he lives, but how he dies."

You remember his courage, his never-back-down attitude. You remember how he dies with honour and how he leaves behind a legacy that will crush anyone who _dares_ attack his home.

You remember the fire in his eyes. And you run away screaming.

Do you remember Kakashi?

He is the man who lost it all (mother, father, teacher, teammates). He is the man who threw himself upon the blades of the ANBU and drowned in his own guilt. He is the man that walks everyday without really living it –

_The sky is red and the world is black and he's tied to a cross, vulnerable and tortured. For three days the sword passes through his body, piercing lungs and rupturing veins, but he will not give away the location of his student because those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum –_

"The people from this village are different from your average village. Even if it means dying, there's not a single one of us, who would sell out a comrade."

You remember that while he is cracked, he is not broken. You remember that he still smiles, still laughs, and still gets lost on the great road that is Life.

You remember that he is still human. And you break out into a cold sweat.

Do you remember Itachi?

He is the cold hearted machine. He murders and slaughters and bathes in the blood of his kin. He shatters his brother's mind for fun and destroys any chance the boy has of a life. He laughs as he watches his opponents bleed and die –

_He turns just in time to block the incoming kunai. It knocks his headband off, clattering on the bloodstained earth with a silent yet deafening sound. He turns and sees the boy that means everything to him, the brother that he hopes will someday kill him and rid him of this pain. A tear runs down his cheek –_

"I'm sorry, Sasuke…There won't be a next time."

You remember his love for his village, for his country, and for his brother. You remember that he loved Konoha enough to become its greatest villain.

You remember how he committed the greatest sin for the greatest reason. And it scares you more than the blade he holds in his hand.

**Because you will remember our future…**

You will remember Tenten.

_She knows she's a girl, but she's as strong (even stronger) than a boy. She practices and practices, training herself into the ground because she will not be left behind and she's not going to fail and she's not done yet!_

"I want to be a great and powerful ninja! To walk in the footsteps of the legendary kunoichi, Tsunade"

Tenten never misses her targets.

You will remember Lee.

_He knows he was never supposed to be a ninja and is destined to be a failure, but he doesn't care. He fights for his Way and he fights for his village and if you cross him, he will hold nothing back. He is a genius of hard work and he will show you no mercy, only fists and fury._

"The lotus of the Leaf Village blooms twice."

Lee will not (can not) stop.

You will remember Neji.

_He knows he's no longer bound by fate, no longer a bird trapped in a cage. He flies free and nothing, _nothing,_ will take that away from him again. He will lay down his life in order to protect that freedom because he's never going back to the darkness now that he's seen the light._

"No one can determine another's destiny."

Neji is no one's slave.

You will remember Ino.

_She knows she's a winner, and has the fight in her to back it up. When her mind leaves her body and shoves her opponent's conscience aside, she smirks because you don't need to be able to crush concrete and split wood to be powerful. She dazzles, she amazes, and she tricks her way to victory, just like a warrior of the shadows would._

"There's no meaning to a flower unless it blooms."

Ino sees the meaning behind everything.

You will remember Chouji.

_He knows he's loyal, more than anyone realizes. He will be the shield for those in danger, as well as the spear for those he loves. He will die to protect his team, his home, his family and there is nothing in this world that is going to stop him._

"I won't forgive anyone who insults my best friend!"

Chouji will never back down.

You will remember Shikamaru.

_He knows he's smart, that he's gifted with intelligence many would kill for. And while he can calculate a hundred different plans to kill you in a minute, he only uses the one that will drive you into unconsciousness. But that was his mission, and you are only alive because of it. Don't you forget that now._

"We're not stupid enough to go out there planning to die."

Shikamaru always plans for victory.

You will remember Hinata.

_She knows she was never supposed to be anything great, but she is anyways. She will stand tall and proud, white eyes blazing with the powers of her ancestors and she will break free of the mould that has trapped her all her life. And she loves it when her opponent realizes that she's no longer that little girl she once was and she never will be again._

"I will never go back on my word, because that too is my ninja way!"

Hinata will not be weak anymore.

You will remember Shino.

_He knows he sees the things people miss, small insignificant things, and he uses that to his advantage. People expect loud noise and explosives, yet the point of a shinobi is to be stealthy and quiet. His enemy will know that he is upon them only when it is already too late._

"This is what a real trump card is."

Shino will show no mercy.

You will remember Kiba.

_He knows how he will die, and he's quite proud of it, too. He will go out protecting the place he calls home in a mix of shattering bone and spraying blood. So his opponents better start praying for hope, because they aren't going walking away unscathed. In fact, they won't be walking away at all._

"Let's die together."

Kiba will spit in the face of death.

You will remember Sakura.

_She knows why she's here; she knows the path she will take. It's not an easy one, but she wouldn't have it any other way. And she will split the earth and topple mountaisn and knit flesh back together again until both her brothers are home once more. She will kill for them and she will die for them._

"I've always considered myself to be a true ninja... but those were just empty words, because Sasuke and Naruto were always in the lead! But now it's my turn to take the lead, and all of you can watch me from the background!"

Sakura dares you to prove her wrong.

You will remember Sasuke.

_He knows that someday he will have to make a choice. He's not stupid, never has and never will be, and he knows in an instant what choice he will make. Because before he's Akatsuki and before he's an avenger, he's a member of a great and noble team that is willing to chase him across the continent in order to bring him home._

"It's too late, nothing you can say will change me!"

Sasuke is still their brother.

You will remember Naruto.

_He knows he is important. There is no doubt in his mind about it at all. Someday, there will not be a single person who does not know his name and nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to stop him from achieving his dream. He will be a hero, and he knows that everyone he meets believes that too._

"Until I become Hokage... I'll never die!"

Naruto will be great.

**Do you remember…**

…what happened to Iwa?

Their armies disappeared in a flash of yellow and their leaders cowered in their seats as Namikaze Minato became the Yondaime Hokage. They never actively attacked Konoha again.

…what happened to Oto and Suna?

Oto crumpled upon itself, their trust in their leader destroyed and their hopes for power crushed. Suna fled with their tails between their legs, only to come crawling back to beg for an alliance.

…what happened to the Akatsuki?

Sasori dies, quite ironic considering he was even closer to immortality than Orochimaru ever was, in the cold embrace of his puppet-parents. Hidan is reduced to ashes in the face of the Will of Fire. Kakuzu is ripped to sheds by the generation he ignored. Deidara is consumed by hatred, destroyed by a man that (in the back of his mind) refuses to give up on his home. Itachi remains loyal, remains strong, and never shows his true face until the very end. Nagato, changed by the words of his fellow pupil, repents and gives back everything he had taken.

**And Madara…?**

When he comes, he will be reminded why Senju Hashirama was so powerful. Because this is Konoha. Because we are courage and we are might and we are never going to give up.

We are shinobi and we will stand together and fight.

Because Madara has forgotten something important.

While the village may be named after a leaf – _weak and unassuming and utterly powerless_ – Konoha exists within the Land of Fire. And its people embody that flame, that chaos, that unwavering strength.

Madara has forgotten the village he helped give birth to.

So in the midst of the final battle, he will watch as all his plans – _all of them_ – crash around him as his allies become his enemies and then – _and only then _– Madara will finally understand why he will never win.

_Because Tenten never misses her targets. Because Lee will not (can not) stop. Because __Neji is no one's slave. Because Ino sees the meaning behind everything. Because __Chouji will never back down. Because Shikamaru always plans for victory. Because __Hinata will not be weak anymore. Because Shino will show no mercy. Because Kiba will spit in the face of death. Because Sakura dares you to prove her wrong. Because __Sasuke is still their brother. Because __Naruto will be great._

Because we are Konoha.

Just Konoha.

**And we will burn Madara to the ground.**

**Thank you for reading. I really hoped you liked my tribute to Konoha. This was just something that wrote itself when I was having some writers block about another story (a chapter one) that I am writing for this.**

**Please review, I would like some feed back on what you think.**

**Thank you,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


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